Letters
August 2-6, 1999 / Mordad 11-15, 1378
Today
* Politics
- Cheshemun kur
* The Iranian:
- Distasteful
Previous
* Photo:
- Creepy feeling
* Politics:
- Under his nose, but unaware
- It was us
- Shah & Farah are to blame
* Jews:
- Something really wrong
* Identity:
- Acceptance
- Remember who you are
* Review:
- Excellent job
* Protests:
- Slogans won't do it
email us
Friday,
August 6, 1999
* Cheshemun kur
goftegoo-ye shomaa raa dar The Iranian khoundam ["It's
the civil society, stupid"]. khodam raa dar har do nafar shenaakham.
man chand ruz pish az tehraan aamadam va jelo-ye khaabgaah-e daaneshgaah
budam ["The
spark"], do ruz ba'd az hamleh-ye ansaar-e hezb-e sheytaan --
beh qol-e khod-e daaneshju-haa.
man do taa nazar daaram:
1 - mardom digeh hoseley-e enghelaab nadaarand vali agar ozaay-e eqtesaadi
avaz nashavad shuresh-haaee anjaam khaahad gereft. goftam shuresh nah enghelaab.
2- khaak bar sar-e maa keh enghelaab kardim cheshemun kur , chubesh
ra baayad bokhorim taa dasteh va kunemunam besuzeh keh digeh az in ghalataa
nakonim. albateh man 22 saalameh va 10 saaleh keh faraanseh hastam va faqat
een aakhund-haa raa didam.
hezbolaahi-haa va basiji-haa hanuz chehreyeh vaghe-eeye khodeshun ra
neshun nadaadan. khaahim did keh inhaa cheqadr heyvaan hastan. dar ayande
shuresh khaye andjam khanad ghereft va een heyvaan-haa baa komak-e rohaniyun-e
qom shuresh-haa raa betor-e vahshiyaaneh sarkub khaahand kard. pas khatami
raast amal mikoneh cheraa keh midun-e inhaa cheqadr vahshi hastand.
Amin
Go to top
* Distasteful
I find your welcome
page very distasteful. Also a moving eyeball is not a very pleasing
and tasteful sight to behold.
Ali Abrishami
Go to top
Thursday
August 5, 1999
* Creepy feeling
Your current picture
on the cover unknowingly has de-humanized a family portrait by eraising
their eyes, it gives the on-looker a creepy feeling. I thought maybe you
wanted to know, that's all.
Mehdi
Go to top
* Under his nose, but unaware
To answer Salamr's questions:1) I left Iran 2.5 years
ago, and 2) I was 62.5 years old. I agree that our people marched the streets
and wanted a change of the regime without realization of what they might
get is going to be worse than what they had.
I am old enough to remember that when Mohammad Reza first became king,
he drove through the streets of Tehran and saw the people and a lot of
times stopped and talked to them.
In fact for a few years I used to live on Kakh Street and watched him
drive from his office during the summer and going to Saadabad Palace around
noon with only a couple of cars escorting him. People had direct access
to him and he could see the city and be in-touch while traveling to his
destination.
Little by little he was distanced from the people and his source of
information and contacts became those who were close and fed him what he
liked to hear or whatever it was to their personal benefits which mostly
were far from the truth.
I blame the Shah because with all the sources of information that he
had available to him (i.e. SAVAK, military intelligence, counter-intelligence,
etc.), he was supposed to be well-informed and educated. But he was unaware
of what was going on under his nose, until it was too late. Or they briefed
him and he did not pay any attention.
What I wonder about is whether Mrs. Pahlavi ever offere any advise to
Mr.Pahlavi the same as she is offering Mr. Khatami? or was she also unaware
of what was going on or, was she aware and didn't take it serious because
they thought they were untouchable?
By the way, since the Shah knew that he has a terminal desease, wasn't
it better for him to remain in the country and die there as a hero? Even
if he was killed, he would have always been remembered as a martyr.
F. Rafat
Go to top
Wednesday
August 4, 1999
* Acceptance
I was so moved when I read the piece by Shima Jalalipour ["After
all, I am Iranian"]. I admire her closeness to her culture and
I congratulate her parents for raising such a fine Iranian. However, it
saddens me that I cannot say the same about myself.
I am half Iranian half Arab, a mixture some people say is doomed from
the start, culturaly speaking. I have only lived in Iran for the first
two years of my life. After the revolution I moved with my mother, my Arab
side, to live in the Arab world, while my father, the Iranian, moved to
the United States.
I was raised as an Arab my whole life, speaking Arabic and abiding Arabic
customes. That did not spare me discrimination, however. I was always an
Iranian, an outsider, among Arabs. Later, after my Iranian-cultural awakening,
I learned that Iranians considered me an Arab.
It was not until I turned 16 and came to the United States to study
that I felt the need to be in touch with my Iranian side. Being away from
home, whereever that is, I knew I had a long way until I can figure out
who I am and where I belong. I guess the thing is that I love both sides
of me.
I read The Iranian Times everyday, just as I read "Al-Sharq
Al-Awsat", the Arabic newspaper. Iranianness has always been within
me. However, putting feelings into words and actions needs a little more
than having an Iranian parent and loving Iran.
It is still a new world to me, and trying to conquer it is not as easy
as it seems. I have been reading as much as I can about Iran. I have been
taking Persian (language) classes. I have been trying to make Iranian friends,
as difficult as that is, with my broken Persian and Arabic name.
At the same time, I am proud of where I am now, considering that I started
from scratch. I am 21 years old now and a junior in college. My short-term
goal is to be fluent in Persian by the time I graduate. My long term goal?
Acceptance...
Niloufar
Go to top
* It was us
I am writing in response to the letter "Shah and
Farah are to blame". Mr. Rafat, I have a couple of questions for
you. 1. When did you leave Iran? 2. How old were you?
It is extremely unfortunate that you, like so many others, find it very
easy to blame OUR king and queen for Iran's current pathetic social, economical,
and political climate. We brought the revolution unto ourselves.
It is very easy to blame the United States but ultimately it was Iranians
marching in the streets looting the palace like a bunch of nadeed padeeds;
it wasn't the Americans. It was Iranians who believed a gross man, who
didn't even speak the Persian language properly, was going to save them.
How wrong those people were.
Salmar
Go to top
Tuesday
August 3, 1999
* Shah & Farah are to blame
It is very interresting to see Farah
Pahlavi's comments about mistakes made by her late husband, the Shah
of Iran, mistakes that eventually ended his dynasty and caused milions
of Iranians to lose their lives or become refugees in other countries and
face insults. Last but not least, our wonderful country has ended up in
a bankrupt and ruined state with no immediate hope for a better the future.
She admitted that if her husband had realized the need for freedom,
we wouldn't be where we are today. During the Shah's rule, she was very
much involved in many of the decisions or if she was not involved, she
definitely was aware of what was going on. Can she really claim that she
knew all this and didn't do anything about it? If so, she betrayed everybody
and she is a traitor.
It is very easy to make these comments after twenty years, now that
her poor husband is dead and unable to defend himself against allegations
about the way the country was run. But when he was alive, did anyone dare
make any constructive comments or tell him that what he is doing is wrong?
Did Farah ever listen to anyone about things which were insulting to religious
people, such as nude dancing at the Shiraz art festival?
The fact is that Farah and her husband were surounded by a bunch of
selfish people as well as relatives who were involved in their own interests.
But I think most Iranians blame Mrs. Pahlavi's husband for what has been
brought upon them. At least I do.
F. Rafat
Go to top
* Something really wrong
I would not discuss the different parts in the article regarding the
13 Jews arrested in Iran ["Harmful
favoritism"], but I would like to say that it is the most stupid
thing for a judiciary system to make decisions based on what other governments
say about the people brought to its judgment. It only shows there is something
really wrong with the law in the country.
Maybe Khatami and everyone else, who have been discussed favorably in
the foreign media, should also be judeged as spies, or against the Islamic
governmtnt.
Farnaz D.
Go to top
Monday
August 2, 1999
* Remember who you are
I feel the same exact way as you do ["After
all, I am Iranian"]. Everything you have said has happened to
me as well, but I still have another three years of high school. I also
attended private schools all my life and tried to fit in with everyone
else even though I was the only iranian girl.
I have long strived to keep my culture alive and thanks to my parents,
I know my culture and traditions. I am a professional swimmer and water
polo player and just like you, I would get out of practice early to go
to chaarshanbeh-souri or sizdah-bedar.
I want to send the same message you did, that we should remember who
we are. I am glad to know that there are other Iranian teenagers in the
U.S. who want to keep their culture alive just like me. I am right there
with you!
Sheva
Go to top
* Excellent job
Somm, you did an excellent job with the article, "How
lucky I am". I now want to see the movie, "Children of Heaven".
I felt like I saw the movie. I agree with your review and your feelings.
Sister 265
Go to top
Copyright © Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
May not be duplicated or distributed in any form
